10 minutes of Fury: flash storm cell rattles the region

HOMES and businesses throughout the Gympie region were taken by surprise by the speed and ferocity of the storm cell which struck on Tuesday afternoon.

Lasting only about 10 minutes, powerful rain, wind and hailstones damaged a number of properties and sent people scrambling for cover.

While no serious injuries were reported in the deluge, a horse at a property near Bergin's Pocket Rd at Kandanga was killed when it was hit by fallen power lines.

"It's a terrible thing; we only found out the horse had died the morning after,” says Graham Engeman, whose daughter Naomi was the horse's owner.

"She's obviously very upset, she has a great love for animals.”

Mr Engeman said he himself nearly died when inspecting the property yesterday morning, unaware of an electrical current still coursing through a nearby fence which had come into contact with the fallen power lines.

"It was certainly a close call. I'm very lucky,” he says.

The property was one of a number in the area to be hit hard by the storm.

Winds were so strong they reportedly lifted a five-tonne grain bin off the ground before dropping it on to the roadside.

"There were no signs of damage to the fence at all; nothing a bin that size would've created,” Mr Engeman says.

"It goes to show the power of nature I suppose.”

Apart from the destruction, the storm was welcomed for bringing much-needed rain to the area.

"We received about an inch of rain overall, which we've been praying for,” says Lyndall Ensbey, who lives in the adjoining property on Bergins Pocket Rd.

"We had a lot of damage - windows broken and much of inside of the house has been saturated by that horizontal rain.”

Still, Mrs Ensbey remains upbeat about the situation.

"It's a beautiful day today; you can just see how the rain replenished the land.”